Dana White dismisses Strickland's pay complaints, reveals champion signed new UFC deal in May

UFC president Dana White has publicly dismissed Sean Strickland’s complaints about fighter pay, revealing the middleweight champion signed a new contract in May and calling into question the earnings figure Strickland has been citing on social media.

Speaking at the DWCS 2026 Week 10 post-fight news conference — held after the final episode of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 — White addressed Strickland’s ongoing frustration over his proposed purse for a middleweight title rematch against Nassourdine Imavov.

“Sean Strickland just signed a new contract in May,” White said. “He just signed a new contract in May. He signed a new deal. Was that like, four months ago? Five months ago? He signed a new deal. And from what I hear, the number he’s putting out there… It’s not true. The number that he claimed he made is not true.”

Strickland has drawn comparisons between his own earnings and the $30 million he claims Conor McGregor received for his most recent UFC appearance, using the gap to publicly air his dissatisfaction ahead of contract negotiations for his next title defence. White, however, framed the complaints as par for the course with the outspoken champion.

“I haven’t personally [spoken to Strickland], I’ve just heard through social media and stuff,” White said. “But when isn’t Sean Strickland upset about something or doesn’t have something to say?”

The situation has escalated to the point where Strickland has floated the possibility of vacating the middleweight belt, moving up to light heavyweight, and fighting out his contract in order to pursue a boxing match against Jake Paul. White did not directly address those threats but pointed to the freshness of Strickland’s new deal as context for why he views the public grievances as premature.

“If we were in a situation where he’d been under the same contract for a year, two years — he just signed a contract in May,” White added. “He got a whole new deal in May. So, it is what it is.”

Strickland is a two-time UFC middleweight champion. His proposed rematch with Imavov, who defeated him to claim the title earlier this year, remains in negotiation.